Silence of Scars
by The Thief King
Summary: "I took every punch, so that he wouldn't have to." The untold story of Seto Kaiba, and what he went through to protect his brother. NO YAOI! Rated T for scenes of abuse. Rating may rise later.


My second story! Yippee! This chapter is kind of short, but I promise the next one will be longer!

All right, so, the idea from this story came from a quote from the NBC show _Heroes. _It was something Jessica said to her father, about her sister, Nikki. "I took every punch, so that she wouldn't have to." I've always loved the Mokuba/Seto relationship, and I thought... Seto was abused by Gozoburo. He took every punch so that Mokuba wouldn't have to.

Bastet: Can't you write something happy and NOT DEPRESSING?

Hmmmm... nope! Hey, both my stories have the word "scars" in the title... just noticed that...

Bastet: I think that says something about you...

Does not! Anyways... just enjoy the story... By the way, chapter one is Seto writing this to Mokuba. OK? Oh, and I still don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any characters. Wouldn't THAT be interesting if I did.

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><p><em>What have I done?<em>

That one phrase became almost like a prayer for me back in those days, one I repeated nearly every waking hour. Words that lurked always in the dark recesses of my mind, ready to spring forward and grab me in their clutches like some terrible clawed beast.

_What have I done?_

Because, really, it was all my fault.

I hadn't meant for things to turn out the way they did. Actually, I meant for the opposite.

It was supposed to be perfect, right? Something out of a fairytale, two orphans whisked away by a rich man, living in luxury in a large mansion, being raised with love and tenderness by a man who came to think of us as his own. Right?

Wrong.

I thought it would be like that. That was my intention when I challenged Gozoburo to that game. I hoped it would be like that.

It wasn't.

It was the opposite.

I don't know if you remember much of it, Mokuba. He died when you were still young.

I don't know if you remember what Gozoburo did to me. I not sure if you even ever knew.

So I'm telling you now, Mokuba, so that you'll know my mistakes. And… I'm writing this to tell you I'm sorry, in the best way that I know how. I know what you'll say. "It wasn't your fault, Seto."

But it was. It is. I wish I had someone to pin the blame on, but I don't. It's all on me.

And so you need to know.

I'm sure you've seen the scars.

I've tried to be careful, but I know you've seen them.

Not that you've mentioned them, or confronted me about them, and for that, I am grateful. I don't know how I'd fare if you confronted me about them.

Then again, I suppose I'm assuming. Maybe you know all about them, how I got them, why I have them. Maybe you remember. Do you?

Anyways, I'm off track. Where was I?

Oh. Yes. How things were.

That's part of the reason, I'm so skeptical nowadays, I think.  
>Because I learned a long time ago that fairy tales aren't real. Happily ever after doesn't exist. There are no happy endings. Not in the real world.<p>

That's true, isn't it? Because even when you think you have a happy ending… you don't. I mean, everyone's story ends in their death, doesn't it? You can have a happy beginning. You can have a happy middle. But you can't have a happy end. No one can.  
>I'm getting philosophical now, aren't I? That's not like me. I always focus on facts, concrete evidence, not the poetic nonsense of philosophers. Maybe I've changed.<p>

Back to the point.

I'm sorry, Mokuba, truly I am. It doesn't sound very sincere on paper… does it? I regret that I'm not saying this to your face, but you know me. That's not who I am. I just hope this apology can be enough. Is that too much to hope for? Is that too much to ask?

Like I said, I don't think you remember what happened. Not well, anyways. Who knows? Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe you remember it all. But there's a lot that happened to me behind closed doors, thinks you never saw, things you never knew.

So I'm taking this opportunity to tell you those things, Mokuba. To tell you everything.  
>Read this when you're ready, Mokuba.<p>

Read it… and know that I am sorry.

Forgive me, brother.

Forgive me.

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><p>There we go, first chapter! I'll try to update often! Read and review, as always! Thanks!<p> 


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